What Is The Va Disability Rating For Kidney Disease

How Does Social Security Evaluate Kidney Disease

Social Security evaluates kidney failure under its disability listings for “genitourinary” impairments. These listings call for disability benefits to be granted in cases where any of the following is present:

• the need for regular dialysis
• completion of a kidney transplant
• reduced glomerular filtration combined with symptoms of damage
• nephrotic syndrome, or
• serious complications of kidney disease.

We discuss each of these situations below. If you don’t have any of the above problems, yet you still can’t work due to kidney failure, you still can win disability benefits if you can show Social Security that your condition causes such limitations it keeps you from working. More on this below. First, we’ll look at Social Security’s official disability listings on kidney failure.

Va Disability Rating For Renal Failure

There are many reasons why kidney failure qualifies you for renal failure VA disability ratings, but how much you get in benefits will depend on the severity of your condition. Kidney disease has five stages: 0 percent, 30 percent, 60 percent, 80 percent, and 100 percent. The rating depends on what symptoms you are exhibiting and the risk factors you are facing. Because renal failure is typically a late stage of kidney disease, there is a higher likelihood of receiving a higher rating and getting more coverage.

Any definite decrease in kidney function results in a 60 percent rating. If you become weak, lose your appetite, and/or cannot perform most daily functions, an 80 percent rating is likely. If you are completely disabled and must remain sedentary due to the disease, your coverage may come in as high as 100 percent.

These ratings correlate to the severity of your disease, so it is imperative that you provide the VA with as much information as possible. This ensures VA ratings for renal failure are applied accurately. This is the primary factor used to determine how much money you will get from the VA each month.

Talk to Us About Your Claim:

Why 100% TDIU Needs a 60% VA Disability Rating

Va Disability Ratings For Kidney Diseases And Secondary Conditions

Veterans suffering from kidney disease should find out if their condition is service connected. If so, they can receive VA disability benefits every month.

These days, we hear a lot about cleanses, detoxes, and clean diets that supposedly remove dangerous toxins from our bodies and leave us feeling more energetic and healthier. But did you know your body has its own natural detox system? Your kidneys are responsible for removing unneeded waste from your body, but what happens when this system breaks down?

Kidney disease is a serious condition, and if you served in the military, you could be eligible for compensation from the VA for this disease. Read on to learn more about kidney disease and answer the question, What is the VA disability rating for kidney disease?

• What Is the VA Disability Rating for Kidney Disease? Now You Know

Also Check: How Much Does Disability Pay In California

Va Disability Compensation Rates

As we mentioned, your VA disability rating will be the primary determining factor in how much money you receive from the VA each month. For instance, if you have a rating of 30 percent, you will get $441.35. However, the VA will also consider whether you have any financial dependents when determining compensation rates for veterans with a rating of 30 percent or higher.

Lets say you have a 50 percent disability rating and no financial dependents. You will receive $$905.04 from the VA tax-free each month. However, if you also have a spouse and a child depending on you financially, you will receive $1,056.04.

Talk to Us About Your Claim:

Hypertension With Chronic Kidney Disease Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Major Depression Individual Unemployability Due To Service

Citation Nr: 18123920 Decision Date: 08/03/18 Archive Date: 08/03/18 DOCKET NO. 13-17 028 DATE: August 3, 2018 ORDER The appeal of the propriety of the reduction in the disability evaluation assigned for hypertension with chronic kidney disease is dismissed. The appeal of entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is dismissed. The appeal

Recommended Reading: Military Reserve Retirement Pay Calculator

Common Symptoms Of Hypertension In Veterans

High blood pressure symptoms vary from veteran to veteran.

If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor immediately!

You could be having a hypertensive crisis that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

You may also have another serious health condition that requires medical attention.

Symptoms of Severe Hypertension in Veterans

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:

• Severe headaches

• Blood spots in eyes

Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 4 Va Disability Rating

7505 Kidney, tuberculosis of: Rate in accordance with §§4.88b or 4.89, whichever is appropriate. 7507 Nephrosclerosis, arteriolar: Rate according to predominant symptoms as renal dysfunction, hypertension or heart disease. If rated under the cardiovascular . schedule, however, the percentage rating which would otherwise

CRF can also be referred to as chronic kidney failure or end-stage renal disease . Getting Disability Benefits for Kidney Diseases. To qualify for disability benefits, your kidney disease must be expected to last 12 months.

Evidence of CKD at the time of diabetes diagnosis was determined.

While guidelines recommend screening for CKD in at-risk patients,

This study was reviewed and approved by institutional review boards at.

Citation Nr: 18123920 Decision Date: 08/03/18 Archive Date: 08/03/18 DOCKET NO. 13-17 028 DATE: August 3, 2018 ORDER The appeal of the propriety of the reduction in the disability evaluation assigned for hypertension with chronic kidney disease is dismissed.

May 15, 2018 · So, I am wondering if I need a nexus letter from a physician or will the VA accept the doctor’s notes from a nephrologist that says Diagnosis “Hypertensive chronic kidney disease with stage 2 through stage 4 chronic kidney disease, or unspecified chronic kidney disease. All the VA doctor’s notes have the lab eGFR’s at or near what the.

Anemia, a common complication of chronic kidney disease, usually develops as a consequence.

Also Check: Do You Accrue Pto While On Short Term Disability

Benefits For Claimants With A Kidney Transplant

A kidney transplant gives an individual 12 months of disability automatically, after that the first year, Social Security will evaluate ongoing disability eligibility upon an individual’s residual impairments. When Social Security determines if an individual has had medical improvement post-transplantation, the agency will consider things like kidney rejection episodes, renal infection frequency, side effect of immunosuppressants and corticosteriod treatment, other systemic infections, neuropathy, or other organ system deterioration. Social Security can also consider the fact that an individual has an absence of symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings that are indicative of kidney failure when making a medical improvement determination.

Getting Service Connection For Gout

Veterans who wish to receive disability compensation for their gout must first prove service connection. Basically, this means that a Veteran needs to provide the VA with sufficient evidence proving the disability was caused by military service. A Veteran can receive service connection for gout on a primary and secondary basis. To receive service connection for gout on a primary basis, just like all disabilities, a Veteran must:

• Have a current medical diagnosis of the condition
• Have been subject to an in-service event or traumatic experience that caused the disability
• Get a medical nexus connecting the in-service event to the current disability

Since there are so many different risk factors associated with gout, it is sometimes difficult to prove service connection. That is why it is so important to provide the VA with the correct documentation when you file your claim.

Often, a Veteran will receive VA compensation for gout based on secondary service connection.

Also Check: How Much Does Sdi Pay In California

What Is Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is an umbrella term that covers a variety of conditions in which you gradually lose kidney function. Your kidneys are your bodys natural detox system, removing waste and excess fluids from your bloodstream. That waste then gets flushed out in your urine, keeping your system from getting overloaded.

As your kidneys shut down, those waste materials can start to build up in your body, along with excess electrolytes. This can cause a variety of problems. Chronic kidney disease can lead to end-stage kidney failure, in which your kidneys cease functioning altogether without dialysis or a kidney transplant, this condition is fatal.

I Have Both A Renal Condition And A Urinary Condition Can I Get A Rating For Both

Yes. Renal conditions and urinary conditions cause different, distinct symptoms, so it is not considered Pyramiding to rate both. In the rare instance that a renal condition and urinary condition cause an overlapping symptom, then that symptom can only be used to rate one of the conditions, but both can still be rated separately.

You May Like: How Much Does Disability Pay In California

Signs And Symptoms Of Kidney Disease

Known as a silent killer, CKD isnt easy to detect because the signs and symptoms for this condition often occur very late in the process, and damage to the kidney has already occurred. Veterans in the early stages of CKD are usually not aware that they have this condition. However, there are signs and symptoms that warrant a visit to the doctor, including:

• Changes in urination. You may feel the need to urinate more often, see blood in your urine, or experience urine that is bubbly or foamy.
• Loss of appetite. You may feel too sick, tired, or full to eat due to the toxin buildup caused by damaged kidneys.
• Feet and ankle swelling. If your kidneys cant eliminate excess fluid and salt from your system, you may experience swelling in some of your extremities.
• Itchy skin. This is a sign that your blood may have an imbalance of nutrients and minerals. High blood levels of phosphorus can cause itchy skin.
• Weakness and fatigue. When toxins build up in your blood, you may feel less energetic or excessively tired. CKD may cause anemiawhen your blood does not have enough red blood cellscausing you to feel weak.
• Eye puffiness. This is an early sign of CKD. Puffiness around your eyes can be caused by protein leaking into your urine.

Is Renal Failure A Primary Or Secondary Service Connection For Va Disability

Renal failure is a debilitating condition that causes serious problems in your everyday life. The most severe cases may lead to death. If you are suffering from renal failure or chronic kidney disease as a result of your time in the military, you could be eligible for VA disability benefits. Our goal is to demonstrate that your renal failure is related to your military service. When we succeed, you get a VA rating for renal failure so you can receive benefits to cover your medical and living expenses.

• VA Disability Attorneys Can Help

You May Like: California Ssdi Amount

How The Va Rates Kidney Disease

The VA rates kidney disease at one of five levels: 0 percent, 30 percent, 60 percent, 80 percent, and 100 percent. If you have kidney disease, but it has no noticeable symptoms, youll receive a 0 percent rating. If you have fluid retention, swelling, and high blood pressure, youll get a 30 percent disability rating.

If there is a marked decrease in your kidney function, in addition to the symptoms we mentioned previously, youll get a VA rating of 60 percent. If you become weak, lose your appetite, and are limited in how much you can do each day, youll get an 80 percent rating. And if you have to start dialysis or your kidney disease is so severe that it renders you sedentary, youll get a 100 percent disability rating.

Here is a video explaining how the VA combined ratings table works from one of our Veterans Disability Lawyers.

Getting A Diagnosis: Testing For Kidney Disease

If the presence of kidney problems is suspected, the physician will most likely start out with a simple urine test. A dipstick is used to measure how much protein is present in the sample. If there is more than 30mg of albumin, kidney disease has most likely set in, and further testing is done to determine how far the disease has advanced.

Further testingespecially if the individual is diabeticincludes blood tests that measure the kidneys ability to filter the blood. The test results record blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels in the blood sample. High levels of either indicate that the kidneys are unable to properly filter the wastes in the blood. Creatinine is a byproduct of the muscles metabolism of energy. BUN is a waste product formed in the liver when protein is metabolized into its component parts . BUN is released by the liver and carried to the kidneys, where it is filtered out of the bloodstream.

Blood tests may also include the glomerular filtration rate , which the physician can calculate based on the creatinine test, age, body size, ethnicity and gender. Specifically, it estimates how much blood passes through the glomeruli each minute. If the GFR is low, the kidneys are not working as well as they should. The various stages of kidney disease are based on the GFR of the individual.

What are considered to be normal kidney test results?

You May Like: Is Adhd An Intellectual Disability

Preparing For Your Appointment

Before you go to your appointment, there are some things you should do to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible and you get the diagnosis you need. Start by putting together a personal and family medical history, including any previous diagnoses youve gotten and a list of procedures youve had performed. You should also write up a family medical history, being sure to include any cases of a blood relative getting diagnosed with a kidney disease of any sort.

You may also have questions for your doctor throughout the diagnostic process. These can be hard to remember once youre in the exam room, so make note of them before you go to your appointment. You may also want to take notes during the exam in case you have any follow-up questions later.

Here are some tips on your C& P exam from one of our VA disability lawyers.

I Was Denied On The Original Claim

Aug 12, 2013#17

AKC wrote:

Patrick428 wrote:The VA will deny CKD due NSAIDS. They say there is no evidence to support NSAIDS as a cause. I filed CKD due diabetes type II and extended use of NSAIDS. They allowed the diabetes as a cause, but stated there is no medical evidence to support NSAIDS cause CKD. I know of no one who was rated for CKD due extended use of NSAIDS. At best, the NSAID cause is like crawling up a steep greasy hill. Patrick

D.B.,This should give you a clear view of the cliff you will have to scale by going that route.

2013-08-13T12:32

Patrick428 wrote: The VA will deny CKD due NSAIDS. They say there is no evidence to support NSAIDS as a cause. I filed CKD due diabetes type II and extended use of NSAIDS. They allowed the diabetes as a cause, but stated there is no medical evidence to support NSAIDS cause CKD. I know of no one who was rated for CKD due extended use of NSAIDS. At best, the NSAID cause is like crawling up a steep greasy hill. Patrick

Aug 14, 2013#212013-08-14T11:03

Aug 15, 2013#232013-08-15T16:56

The below is an excerpt from WebMD.com and is to be assigned whatever weight you may apply. It should not replace your professional MD’s advice/opinion. It is provided as a definition of BUN.Normal

High values

Jan 11, 2016#242016-01-12T02:23

Jul 02, 2016#252016-07-03T03:28

Jul 03, 2016#262016-07-03T18:23

Also Check: How To Calculate Disability Retirement Pay

Va Disability Ratings For Kidney Disease

Your kidneys are two fist-sized organs that filter waste and excess fluid from your blood. All of that waste material gets flushed out in your urine to prevent a buildup of that waste in your system. When you have kidney disease, your kidneys can no longer filter the blood the way theyre supposed to. When you lose kidney function, you can face serious medical problems, including kidney failure.

There are two types of kidney disease: acute and chronic. Acute kidney failure or injury typically occurs after an illness, use of drugs, or an injury and is usually reversible. Chronic kidney disease is not reversible and will eventually result in kidney failure.

Approximately 7.7% of veterans are diagnosed with CKD each year, and the occurrence of CKD in veterans is approximately 34% greater than in the general public. If your kidney disease was a result of your time in the military, you might be eligible for disability benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs .

Study Design And Data Source

This was a retrospective observational study using data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse from 2002 through 2014. These data included extracts from the VA Decision Support System National Data Extracts, Inpatient and Outpatient Medical SAS Datasets , and the Vital Status Files. This study was reviewed and approved by institutional review boards at both the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Memphis VA Medical Center, and the need for consent was waived by these ethics committees.

The current analysis is based on a subset of a larger cohort that included incident cases of uncomplicated DM among veterans diagnosed between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2012. In order to be eligible for the overall cohort, patients must have been 18 years and older, been diagnosed with diabetes for the first time , been prescribed an oral antidiabetic drug as their first-line therapy for the first time , and at least one year of data prior to and two years of data following their initial DM diagnosis. Patients were excluded if they were insulin dependent, had been diagnosed with a diabetes-related micro-vascular complication prior to or in conjunction with their DM diagnosis , had been diagnosed with HIV at any point in their record, or had been diagnosed with malignant cancer prior to their initial DM diagnosis. This overall study cohort included 187,349 patients.

You May Like: How Do I Calculate My Reserve Retirement Pay